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The Talisman #1-2
The Talisman and Black House
Stephen King and Peter Straub. LIMITED/SIGNED BY STRAUB AND BERRY. The Talisman and Black House. Hampton Falls: Donald M. Grant, 2003. First edition of the limited collection. Limited to 3,500 numbered and signed sets. Signed by Straub and the illustrator, Rick Berry on the limitation page. Publisher's binding, dust jackets, and slipcase.
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, is proud to announce the publication of a new limited edition of THE TALISMAN and of its sequel, BLACK HOUSE by authors Stephen King and Peter Straub. Both books have 11 new full color plates, numerous black and white devices and are also designed by award winning artist Rick Berry. The bindings of both books are black leatherette stamped with two colors of foil and are available only as a set in a single foil stamped slipcase. The set is limited to 3,500 numbered copies. THE TALISMAN in each set is signed by author Peter Straub and artist Rick Berry. retail price is $150.00.
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, is proud to announce the publication of a new limited edition of THE TALISMAN and of its sequel, BLACK HOUSE by authors Stephen King and Peter Straub. Both books have 11 new full color plates, numerous black and white devices and are also designed by award winning artist Rick Berry. The bindings of both books are black leatherette stamped with two colors of foil and are available only as a set in a single foil stamped slipcase. The set is limited to 3,500 numbered copies. THE TALISMAN in each set is signed by author Peter Straub and artist Rick Berry. retail price is $150.00.
Hardcover
First published October 29, 2002
33 people are currently reading
3715 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,295 books891k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 17, 2011
Ok, so here's me being silly: I read The Black House first because I'd never heard of it before and I picked up a used copy at my library's book sale (it was a buck, too...what a deal!)
I soon discovered, when I started reading the first page, that it was a sequel, but I decided to forge ahead anyway, just to see if I would be interested in such a thick tome. I was riveted. Just absolutely riveted, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that, given that Stephen King and Peter Straub are so mainstream. But, so what...the storyline was incredible. And I didn't find myself wanting to stop reading The Black House to pick up The Talisman instead...I read it til the end. And here's this little anecdote: I was about 100 pages away from finishing it when I accidentally left it at my daughter's gymnastics school...and since it was 30 minutes up the freeway, and I wouldn't be back for another week, I decided to BUY another copy on my Kindle! Yeah, that was me being lazy. But I bought the version with The Talisman because I knew I wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I did. I liked them both for two completely different reasons, and I also liked them both because of Jack Sawyer. It takes a lot of thought to be so consistent with a character who, in one book, is 12 and in another, written some 20 years later, is in his 30s. And he really was consistent.
Great story. Those guys, boy, they've got this thing about houses and hotels...
I soon discovered, when I started reading the first page, that it was a sequel, but I decided to forge ahead anyway, just to see if I would be interested in such a thick tome. I was riveted. Just absolutely riveted, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that, given that Stephen King and Peter Straub are so mainstream. But, so what...the storyline was incredible. And I didn't find myself wanting to stop reading The Black House to pick up The Talisman instead...I read it til the end. And here's this little anecdote: I was about 100 pages away from finishing it when I accidentally left it at my daughter's gymnastics school...and since it was 30 minutes up the freeway, and I wouldn't be back for another week, I decided to BUY another copy on my Kindle! Yeah, that was me being lazy. But I bought the version with The Talisman because I knew I wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I did. I liked them both for two completely different reasons, and I also liked them both because of Jack Sawyer. It takes a lot of thought to be so consistent with a character who, in one book, is 12 and in another, written some 20 years later, is in his 30s. And he really was consistent.
Great story. Those guys, boy, they've got this thing about houses and hotels...
July 26, 2019
weird two-logy
beautiful on the aspect of fantasy (many memorable scenes)
mediocre on regards of the result (i found it way too long drawn)
beautiful on the aspect of fantasy (many memorable scenes)
mediocre on regards of the result (i found it way too long drawn)
March 15, 2010
These two books are collectively my favorite book. I feel more connection with the main character, Jack Sawyer, than with any other character. His youthful cheerfulness at the beginning still shines through with his wonder of the Territories despite how hard the path he takes is. I would LOVE to receive this book in Hardcover with the 2 of them combined. I should say that they should cite that this was co-written with Straub, who I think is responsible for the enjoyable ending to this wonderful story.
October 31, 2024
Normal.
December 21, 2023
I really dunno why I continued reading Black House after learning it was the sequel and I hadn't read book 1. Because of my mistake, I think the rating of this one suffers a bit because y'all I was confused.
But it wasn't bad enough that I put the books down, either. I finally got around to reading them in the correct order and wooboy. It's a ride. I think Talisman's the better of the two. Black house was good, but ther were times I was bored and just ready for the book to be over.
The plot's a bit confusing (even when reading the books in the correct order, lol), about 2 cops trying to solve a mystery about a biker gang that they believe is terrorizing a local town. I'll be honest, the pacing was a little off. There were things drawn out for the sake of creating suspense and drama but I was just bored and ready to move past it. I skimmed a lot of these parts after the halfway point.
If you're a die-hard fan of King and Straub, sure. Grab it. Otherwise, I don't think you'll miss this in your life.
But it wasn't bad enough that I put the books down, either. I finally got around to reading them in the correct order and wooboy. It's a ride. I think Talisman's the better of the two. Black house was good, but ther were times I was bored and just ready for the book to be over.
The plot's a bit confusing (even when reading the books in the correct order, lol), about 2 cops trying to solve a mystery about a biker gang that they believe is terrorizing a local town. I'll be honest, the pacing was a little off. There were things drawn out for the sake of creating suspense and drama but I was just bored and ready to move past it. I skimmed a lot of these parts after the halfway point.
If you're a die-hard fan of King and Straub, sure. Grab it. Otherwise, I don't think you'll miss this in your life.
August 25, 2011
I really enjoyed both of these books, Especially the talisman to me it felt like an epic adventure that remided me a lot of the world in Steven Kings dark tower series (which i also loved!) Both of these books are so beautifully written and i found i got really into both of these volumes and had a very hard time putting them down reading into the early morning sometimes. If your looking for an entertaing scary and sometimes beautiful advernture put this on your list
January 5, 2014
Εάν σας φανεί πικρόχολο στην αρχή, μην το αφήσετε. Οι πρώτες 40 σελίδες είναι. Στη συνέχεια ξετυλίγεται μια καταπληκτική ιστορία περιπέτειας και φαντασίας. Το διάβασα πριν 12 χρόνια περίπου και ακόμα θυμάμαι τη σκηνή με τον λύκο, στην οποία η περιγραφή ήταν τόσο ζωντανή που σχεδόν το ζούσα. Εξαιρετικό βιβλίο για το είδος του.
Παρ' όλα αυτά, δίνω 4 αστέρια, λόγω του ότι περίμενα περισσότερα στο τέλος.
Παρ' όλα αυτά, δίνω 4 αστέρια, λόγω του ότι περίμενα περισσότερα στο τέλος.
September 19, 2011
OMG both of these books are fantastic!!!
December 16, 2012
I wish they would write more of these. Some of both Straub and Kings most vivid imagery.
April 1, 2025
Okay, So I loved the Talisman, thought I would love this too. Sadly not the case. It was cool to see what Jack Sawyer was up to all this time later, but the story was far from The Talisman. It had a lot of tie-ins to The Dark Tower and maybe if I had read those first I would have felt a bigger impact but I haven't read but a few of them so I knew very little. Just know its not a journey, its a mystery with a lot of (complicated) layers. That being said, I did really like the characters we had in this story. At least I had that, I cared about them and how they were going to get through their own struggles.
March 24, 2021
The Fisherman is taking and killing the children in a small town in WI. Hollywood, Jack Sawyer, now lives in this town and he will the help of friends go between worlds to find Ty and kill the Black House
July 9, 2017
Memorable. Read them twice.
December 13, 2018
All Kings books are a fast and thrilling read! My favorite author!
May 25, 2021
Treasures! Don't pass these up.
March 22, 2022
Great read.
March 27, 2023
As a whole the story is solid. Bad guy's are skin crawling despicable. Wish there was more about Richard.
January 11, 2024
One half of an incredible pair of books.
January 25, 2026
It took me a few tries to get into The Talisman but once I did, it quickly became one of my favorites. Black House was very good too as the story continues into Jack's adult life.
February 26, 2019
Both amazing books. They literally transport the reader to two places at once, entwining worlds together in an almost quantum relationship as they stress the importance of following one's destiny no matter the hardship or loneliness. Two carefully woven worlds where fear and beauty are fast pacing and reality becomes indeed very fragile.
February 28, 2022
Tout d’abord ce roman est un monstre de 1500 pages, il ne faut pas s’attaquer à ça avec des dents de lait ! Ensuite, c’est une aventure fabuleuse dans un monde unique, « les territoires ».
Jack Sawyer, douze ans, désespère de pouvoir aider sa mère qui se meurt d'un mal inconnu, lorsqu’il découvre l'existence d'un autre monde, endroit féerique mais terriblement dangereux, où le ciel est transparent et profond, et les senteurs plus fortes. C'est là que se trouve le Talisman, seul remède qui puisse sauver sa mère.
Une œuvre à deux mains, passionnante et touchante, malgré quelques longueurs. Une aventure magique et épique comme je les aime ; pavée d’embuches et pleine d’émotions. J’ai très hâte d’enchainer avec le deuxième tome.
Jack Sawyer, douze ans, désespère de pouvoir aider sa mère qui se meurt d'un mal inconnu, lorsqu’il découvre l'existence d'un autre monde, endroit féerique mais terriblement dangereux, où le ciel est transparent et profond, et les senteurs plus fortes. C'est là que se trouve le Talisman, seul remède qui puisse sauver sa mère.
Une œuvre à deux mains, passionnante et touchante, malgré quelques longueurs. Une aventure magique et épique comme je les aime ; pavée d’embuches et pleine d’émotions. J’ai très hâte d’enchainer avec le deuxième tome.
December 13, 2016
This book has a confusing plot about two cops trying to figure out what is going on with a biker gang that they believe to be terrorizing the town. The author tried to drag out many of the parts to try and give the feeling of suspense but ended up making the book seem boring. What did end up happening though was the murderer "the fisherman" followed through on a series of murders started by a former murderer known as Albert Fish. I thought it was a novel until I found out that it was a follow-up to the talisman. So reading that book next may clear things up. But overall from what I know, the book just seemed too slow and had had a a very confusing plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2009
I love the boy adventure coming of age stories mixed with archetypal good vs evil. This one is grimmer than "a boy's life" by R McCammon but a great story. It has parallel worlds, a boy and his companion, danger and suspense. I'm thinking I’m going to read it to the boys (if M2 indicates he's ready). It's a scary read, true to form King dispatches whatever character needs to go to further the story, and the boy makes it to the other side in the end.
June 8, 2022
Ce livre m’a transportée pendant près d’un mois et c’était franchement génial. C’est certes deux pavés pleins de descriptions et certains passages peuvent sembler longs sans raisons valables mais une telle écriture est impressionnante. Les auteurs ont pensé à absolument tout jusqu’au détail le plus infime. J’adorerai voir cette duologie adaptée au cinéma histoire de voir comment cela serait mis en scène.
April 20, 2016
These are my two favorite books b Mr. King and with Peter Straub's amazing writing skills added, the two have written some books that take the reader into another world. I love the writing in this book which felt like I was sitting down with the author's and enjoying a story they were sharing. Unbelievable journey readers have to grab!
February 17, 2008
a wonderful collaboration between S King and P Straub. If you know them both, you can tell when one puts down the pen and the other picks it up. I have always thought Peter Straub is a tough read; not a fluent writer, but I love his stories. Struggle through.
September 19, 2008
When I read this book I got it from the Library and it was only Black House...but I couldn't find it that way on here. I LOVED it and thought it was a great story. It was a little hard for me to stomach at times but it was wonderfully told.
March 16, 2013
VERY Good Book. Miles above average. Probably Mr King's and Mr Straub's Opus work before the writing of the "Dark Tower" series of books. Well worth the time it took to read, it leaves the reader satisfied and happy.
August 11, 2015
I had read the Talisman many years ago and decided to read it again this year. It was as amazing as the first time. I went straight into reading the Black House and it didn't disappoint. A must read for all Fantasy readers. Would make an epic movie
February 17, 2024
Wouah , j’ai vraiment adoré . Beaucoup de personnages attachants comme Wolf , Parker , Henry , le Pif et des amis de toujours . Je me suis senti facilement emporté dans le rôle de Jack .
Je relirai ce livre sans aucune hésitation
Je relirai ce livre sans aucune hésitation
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews